Why This Disney Star Is Committed To Giving Back Through Volunteering

Why This Disney Star Is Committed To Giving Back Through Volunteering

It's easy for adults to identify the things in life they are most passionate about, but it's often times even easier for them to find excuses why they can't transform those interests into action. Kids, on the other hand, don't seem to have that same mental wall holding them back. They discover something they love and jump into finding a way to share it with the world.

Gabe Eggerling, a star in Disney's upcoming TV movie "The Kicks," is one of those young people. He often felt concerned about other kids' potential lack of food, housing and education -- so he found a way to jump in and make a difference. In honor of National Volunteer Week, Eggerling joined HuffPost Live host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani to discuss the roots behind his motivation to help other young individuals learn to read through volunteering.

"I went all around southern California and started to read to schools and kids that were in the schools," said Eggerling. "And one time when I was reading to a school in Compton, I met a girl who said that she didn't have any books. That really started me trying to give books to all the kids that I could find ... I was really sad ... I thought that everyone had books, that everyone could read. It was really shocking to me."

Tracy Hoover, the president of the organization Points of Light, says it's motivating to watch young people like Eggerling step up for causes they feel passionate about because it encourages adults to spend their time in similar ways.

"Isn't it just incredible that at such a young age, Gabe has tapped into what is really a national crisis, and is really about to address it?" she said. "I think what you see with the young celebrities and the community action heroes is that each of us, whether you're young or older, have things that you really care about ... and a unique sphere of influence and assets that you can apply to those causes, and that's the sweet spot."

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